Thursday, July 7, 2011

Former UNC football player Michael McAdoo has filed a lawsuit against the school and the NCAAseeking reinstatement after being declared permanently ineligible for academic misconduct.He is also seeking unspecified damages from the school and the NCAA in a lawsuit accuses of libel and “gross negligence” in ruling him ineligible based on inaccurate information.

According to the complaint, the NCAA ruled McAdoo ineligible for receiving improper assistance from tutor Jennifer Wiley “on multiple assignments across several academic terms.” But McAdoo’s lawyers argue that the school’s Honor Court found him guilty of only one infraction: Representing another’s work as his own after Wiley had formatted in-text citations and the “works cited” page for websites used to prepare his research paper.

The school’s Honor Court decided to suspend him from school for the spring semester, but allow him to re-enroll in the summer and then return to the football team this fall. It cleared him in a second case and the student attorney general decided there was insufficient evidence to pursue a third against him.

He had also received $110 in improper benefits. Most of that was connected to a trip to the Washington, D.C. area with teammates Marvin Austin and Greg Little, prompting the school to hold him out for the first three games of last season.

“All told, McAdoo has been declared permanently ineligible to play intercollegiate athletics because he received $110 in improper benefits (which he has since paid to charity), and because his university-assigned and trained tutor provided McAdoo with too much assistance … for one class in the summer of 2009,” the complaint states. “This punishment is grossly disproportionate to the facts of McAdoo’s case, and is inconsistent with the punishment meted out by the UNC Honor Court.”

The lawsuit seeks to compel chancellor Holden Thorp to reinstate McAdoo while also preventing the NCAA from interfering in the process or punishing the school if McAdoo returns. A hearing on that request is scheduled for July 15.

A school spokeswoman said the university is reviewing the lawsuit but had no further comment.

According to the Washington Post’s Terrapin Insider Eric Prisbell and other sources, Justin Lewis, who started in 12 of 13 games at right guard last season, has been dismissed from the Maryland football program because of an undisclosed violation of team policies, Coach Randy Edsall announced Tuesday.

“As with any organization there are policies which must be adhered to by all individuals and when they are not, there are consequences for an individual’s actions,” Edsall said in a news release issued by the school.

A native of Johnsonville, S.C., Lewis played in 24 career games, including 15 starts — all at right guard.

Evidently, Lewis turned himself in to authorities Tuesday in response to a second-degree assault charge levied against him by a manager at a bar in College Park.

According to Alain Parcain, the manager at RJ Bentley's, Lewis punched him in the face for "looking at his girl."

“At Duke, we had a target on our back every day. Expectations are high too. When you lose a game, it’s a big deal at Duke. I think that is very similar to how it is here. I am used to those expectations, and I just want to live up to them.”

Former Baltimore Colt John Mackey, a Hall of Fame tight end and former president of the NFL Players Association who struggled with dementia after his playing career, has died. He was 69.

Chad Steele, a spokesman for the Baltimore Ravens, said Thursday that Mackey’s wife notified the team about her husband’s death. No official cause was given.

Mackey played for the Baltimore Colts from 1963-71. He also played for the San Diego Chargers in 1972. He caught 331 passes for 5,236 yards and 38 touchdowns in a 10-season career.

After he retired, Mackey joined Mike Ditka as the first tight ends selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The John Mackey Award was established to honor the nation’s top college football tight end, and Syracuse retired his number in 2007.

Rooms with a view…Members of the German soccer squad Bayern Munich train in Arco, Italy for an upcoming up. (Photo by Daniel Karmann/DPA/ZUMAPRESS.com)

Speaking of cheaters…sorry “alleged” cheaters. Baseball pitching star Roger Clemens and his wife Debbie arrive at the U.S. District Court on July 6, 2010 in Washington, DC. Seven-time Cy Young Award winner Clemens is on trial for making false statements, perjury and obstructing Congress when he testified in a February 2008 inquiry by the House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee on his alleged use of performance enhancing drugs. Based on that stupid hir cut with the gel starfish looking think in the front: GUILTY! (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images North America)

Ahhh…it’s that time of year, we can smell the DMSO in the air! (Google it). Race leader Thor “The Great Northern Potential And Probable Future In Not Current Cheater” Hushovd of Norway and Team Garmin-Cervelo rides at the front of the peloton on stage five of the 2011 Course Des Tricheurs from Carhaix to Cap Frehel on July 6, 2011 in Cap Frehel, France. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images Europe)

We know the Dodgers are a mess right now, but KISS?Really?Former KISS member and reality TV star Gene Simmons attends the Dodgers v NY Mets game to throw out the first pitch of the game at Dodger Stadium on July 5, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.Talk about a grown man in dire need of a haircut…(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images North America)
NFL Hall of Famer John Mackey showing off his Hall of Fame and Super Bowl rings at his Baltimore, Md. Home on March 22, 2007 in an AP file photo.

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NORTHERN HAITI HOPE FOUNDATION: After our recent trip to Haiti, we vowed to do more to help. Clean water is a critical issue for all Haitians. It's particularly problematic for those in rural areas. For $2,000 to $5,000 we can build a new well in a rural village as part of a program facilitated by the St. Barthelemy School and the Warrenton, VA Rotary. Send your donation to Wells of Health and Hope, c/o GPetty-VTA, 38 Garrett Street, Warrenton, VA 20186 and keep your eye on T.A.H. for progress reports. Thanks! CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR MORE INFO.